Aloe plant named ‘CRIMSON DRAGON’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of  Aloe  plant named ‘CRIMSON DRAGON’ is disclosed, characterized by rosettes of slightly recurved slate-green leaves overlaid with an intricate network of reticulate, truncate tuberculate papillae of a frosty mint overlaid by nearly iridescent intense crimson and bright crimson margins. The overall crimson color is exceptionally bright and ornamental. Plants offset freely, forming a cluster quickly and growing larger than many comparable color miniature  Aloes. Aloe  ‘Crimson Dragon’ has exhibited resistance to the  Eriophyid  mite ( Aloe  mite), whereas many of the comparable colorful miniature  Aloes  are prone to deformation from the  Eriophyid  mite. The new variety is an  Aloe , typically produced as a garden or container plant.

Latin name of the genus and species: Aloe hybrid.

Variety denomination: ‘CRIMSON DRAGON’.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The new cultivar is a product of a planned breeding program. The seedparent is the unpatented proprietary Aloe hybrid ‘ERT 03’. The pollenparent is the unpatented proprietary Aloe hybrid ‘Red Des’. The crossingwas made in September 2014 at a commercial greenhouse in Vista, Calif.‘CRIMSON DRAGON’ was selected by the inventor in August 2015.

Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar ‘CRIMSON DRAGON’ was firstperformed by tissue culture at a commercial laboratory in Vista, Calif.in September 2015. ‘CRIMSON DRAGON’ has since produced severalgenerations and has shown that the unique features of this cultivar arestable and reproduced true to type.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The cultivar ‘CRIMSON DRAGON’ has not been observed under all possibleenvironmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat withvariations in environment such as temperature, day length, and lightintensity, without, however, any variance in genotype.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined tobe the unique characteristics of ‘CRIMSON DRAGON.’ These characteristicsin combination distinguish ‘CRIMSON DRAGON’ as a new and distinct Aloecultivar:

-   -   1. Aloe ‘Crimson Dragon’ produces rosettes of slightly recurved        glaucous slate green leaves, overlaid by an intricate network of        reticulate, truncate tuberculate papillae of a frosty mint        overlaid by nearly iridescent intense crimson, and further        accentuated with wide bright crimson margins. Margins are        strongly variable, often slightly truncate dentate to        continuously dentate.    -   2. Aloe ‘Crimson Dragon’ displays more of an overall glowing        crimson color than other similar small Aloes.    -   3. Aloe ‘Crimson Dragon’ offsets freely to produce an        attractive, faster growing cluster.    -   4. Aloe ‘Crimson Dragon’ grows somewhat larger than many of the        popular new colorful miniature Aloes.    -   5. Aloe ‘Crimson Dragon’ has exhibited resistance to the        Eriophyid mite (Aloe Mite), whereas many of the comparable        colorful miniature Aloes are prone to deformation from the        Eriophyid mite.

PARENTAL COMPARISON

Plants of the new cultivar ‘CRIMSON DRAGON’ are similar to the seedparent in most horticultural characteristics. However, plants of the newvariety differ from the seed parent in the following:

-   -   1. Aloe ‘Crimson Dragon’ displays a reticulate, tuberculate leaf        texture, whereas the seed parent Aloe ‘ERT 03’ exhibits a more        papillate leaf texture.    -   2. Aloe ‘Crimson Dragon’ displays a vivid crimson overlay of the        reticulate, tuberculate texture, whereas the papillate texture        of Aloe ‘ERT 03’ displays a root beer color overlay.    -   3. The Aloe ‘ERT 03’ produces offsets, but less in quantity than        Aloe ‘Crimson Dragon’, which is freely offsetting to produce        attractive clusters.    -   4. The new Aloe ‘Crimson Dragon’ is nearly acaulescent, whereas        Aloe ‘ERT 03’ is more morphologically caulescent.

Plants of the new cultivar ‘CRIMSON DRAGON’ are similar to the pollenparent in most horticultural characteristics. However, plants of the newvariety differ in the following:

-   -   1. Aloe ‘Crimson Dragon’ exhibits a more reticulate tuberculate        leaf texture than does than does the pollen parent Aloe ‘Red        Des’.    -   2. Aloe ‘Crimson Dragon’ displays a vivid crimson overlay of the        reticulate, tuberculate texture, whereas the less pronounced        leaf texture of Aloe ‘Red Des’ displays only a dull reddish        blush and is devoid of the vivid crimson color.    -   3. The Aloe ‘Red Des’ is not prone to much offsetting, whereas        Aloe ‘Crimson Dragon’ is freely offsetting to produce attractive        clusters.    -   4. The new Aloe ‘Crimson Dragon’ displays a robust, moderately        rapid growth rate, whereas Aloe ‘Red Des’ grows more slowly.    -   5. Aloe ‘Crimson Dragon’ displays strongly variable dentate        margins of vivid crimson, whereas the pollen parent Aloe ‘Red        Des’ displays a more evenly denticulate reddish margin.

COMMERCIAL COMPARISON

‘CRIMSON DRAGON’ can be compared to the unpatented commercial varietyAloe ‘Christmas Sleigh’. The two Aloe varieties are similar in mosthorticultural characteristics; however, the new variety differs in thefollowing:

-   -   1. Aloe ‘Crimson Dragon’ exhibits a strongly variable, often        truncately dentate to continuously dentate margin of crimson,        whereas Aloe ‘Christmas Sleigh’ displays a slightly longer,        evenly doubly dentate margin of crimson.    -   2. Aloe ‘Crimson Dragon’ grows more robustly to a larger rosette        size than does Aloe ‘Christmas Sleigh’, which is more of a        miniature Aloe.    -   3. Aloe ‘Crimson Dragon’ displays a reticulate, tuberculate,        prominently elevated leaf texture, whereas Aloe ‘Christmas        Sleigh’ exhibits an occasional papillate protuberance on the        leaf surface.    -   4. Aloe ‘Crimson Dragon’, due to the reticulate, tuberculate        leaf texture, covering much of the surface of the leaf, appears        to have a glowing overlay of crimson, whereas Aloe ‘Christmas        Sleigh’ does not exhibit the colorful overlay of crimson;        displaying only a largely slate blue-green leaf color, with a        few reddish papillae and red dentate margins.

‘CRIMSON DRAGON’ can also be compared to the unpatented commercialvariety Aloe ‘Lizard Lips.’ The two Aloe varieties are similar in mosthorticultural characteristics; however, the new variety differs in thefollowing:

-   -   1. Aloe ‘Crimson Dragon’ produces rosettes comprised of leaves        with a reticulate, tuberculate texture covering much of the        surface of the leaf, overlaid with a vivid crimson, whereas Aloe        ‘Lizard Lips’ displays rosettes of dark green variable to a        lighter green, overlaid with reticulations of bright pearl        white.    -   2. Aloe ‘Crimson Dragon’ exhibits a strongly variable, often        truncately dentate to continuously dentate margin of crimson,        whereas Aloe ‘Lizard Lips’ displays denticulate margins of        translucent pale green to translucent white, recurved back        towards the center of the rosette.    -   3. Aloe ‘Crimson Dragon’ morphologically differs from Aloe        ‘Lizard Lips’ in that Aloe ‘Crimson Dragon’ produces rosettes of        upswept, slightly recurved leaves, as compared with Aloe ‘Lizard        Lips’, which exhibits a more horizontal morphology.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS

The accompanying photograph in FIG. 1 illustrates in full color atypical plant of ‘CRIMSON DRAGON’ grown in a greenhouse (approximately2000 foot candles of light) in Vista, Calif. This plant is approximately10 months old, shown in a 1 gallon container.

FIG. 2 illustrates a close-up view of the rosette. The photographs weretaken using conventional techniques and although colors may appeardifferent from actual colors due to light reflectance it is as accurateas possible by conventional photographic techniques.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

In the following description, color references are made to The RoyalHorticultural Society Colour Chart, 2007 edition, except where generalterms of ordinary dictionary significance are used. The followingobservations and measurements describe ‘CRIMSON DRAGON’ plants in acommercial greenhouse in Vista, Calif. Temperatures ranged from 21° C.to 25° C. during the day, and 18° C. to 21° C. during the night. Noartificial light, photoperiodic treatments or chemical treatments weregiven to the plants. Natural light conditions were approximately 2500 to3000 fc of light. Measurements and numerical values represent averagesof typical plant types.

-   Botanical classification: Aloe hybrid ‘CRIMSON DRAGON.’-   Age of the plant described: About 1 year.

PROPAGATION

-   Time to initiate roots: Approximately 25 days at 22° C.-   Root description: Fibrous. Brown, not accurately measured with the    RHS chart.-   Propagation method: Tissue culture.

PLANT

-   Growth habit: Multiple basal rosettes.-   Container size: 5 inch.-   Height: Approximately 18 cm to top of highest leaf.-   Plant spread: Approximately 28 cm.-   Growth rate: Moderate.-   Branching characteristics: No branches, on average 8 to 10 basal    rosettes.

FOLIAGE

-   Leaf:    -   -   Arrangement.—Rosette.        -   Average length.—Average range 7-11 cm.        -   Average width.—3 cm at base, widest point.        -   Average thickness.—About 2.5 to 3.0 mm at thickest.        -   Shape of blade.—Deltoid.        -   Apex.—Acute, with a sharp dentation.        -   Base.—Clasping.        -   Margin.—Irregularly occurring flattened, hard dentations.            Dentations about 3 mm deep and 5 to 7 mm long.        -   Texture of top surface.—Non-pubescent scabrous. Oblong            scabrous projections about 1 to 2 mm high, 3 to 5 mm long,            1-2 mm wide.        -   Texture of bottom surface.—Non-pubescent scabrous. Oblong            scabrous projections about 1 to 2 mm high, 3 to 5 mm long,            1-2 mm wide.        -   Quantity of leaves.—Average range of about 6 to 9 per            rosette.        -   Color.—Young foliage upper side: Near RHS Green 137A with            oblong scabrous projections colored near Red 39A. Margin            near Red 39A. Young foliage under side: Near RHS Green 137A            with oblong scabrous projections colored near Red 39A.            Margin near Red 39A. Mature foliage upper side: Near RHS            Green 137A with oblong scabrous projections colored near Red            47D. Margin near Red 47D. Mature foliage under side: Near            RHS Green 137A with oblong scabrous projections colored near            Red 47D. Margin near Red 47D.        -   Venation.—Linear. Color: Indistinguishable from leaf blade.

FLOWER

-   Not observed to date.

OTHER CHARACTERISTICS

-   Seeds and fruits: Not observed to date.-   Temperature tolerance: Tolerates temperatures from approximately    28° C. to 0° C.-   Disease/pest resistance: Exhibited resistance to the Eriophyid mite    (Aloe mite).

What is claimed is:
 1. A new and distinct cultivar of Aloe plant named‘CRIMSON DRAGON’ as herein illustrated and described.